Chapters · 4
Canada Passport Photo Requirements
Check your photo
Check the digital photo your photographer gives you for an online renewal. We check it as it is and don't crop it.
Your photo is checked on this device, and we never see it. By choosing one you agree that this page measures the face in it, on your device only. Nothing is kept after you close the tab.
You can't take a Canadian passport photo at home: a commercial photographer or photo studio must take it in person. Printed photos are 50 mm wide by 70 mm high, with the face 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown, and the studio writes its name, address and the date on the back. For an online renewal the studio gives you a digital file instead.
Canada doesn't accept any change to a photo, not even cropping, so we don't make Canadian photos. The free check above reads the digital file from your photographer as it is, and tells you whether it meets the online renewal rules before you upload it.
Canada passport photo rules
Check the digital photo your photographer gives you for an online renewal. We check it as it is and don't crop it.
- Size
- 3:2 digital file
- Upload limits
- 1200 x 1800 to 3000 x 4500 px, 200 KB to 5 MB, JPG
- Head height
- 45% to 50% of the photo height, chin to crown
- Background
- Plain white or light-colored, clearly different from your face
- Expression
- Neutral: eyes open, mouth closed, not smiling or frowning.
- Glasses
- Glasses are allowed if your eyes are clearly visible and there's no glare. No sunglasses or tinted lenses, even prescription ones.
- Babies
- A newborn may sit in a car seat with a white blanket behind the head. No hands may show. Canada allows some range in a newborn's expression but doesn't say closed eyes are accepted.
- Edits
- Canada doesn't accept any change to the photo, not even cropping around the head, a new background or removing shadows. So we check it and change nothing.
- Both printed and digital photos must be taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio.
- Printed: 2 identical photos, 50 x 70 mm, face 31 to 36 mm chin to crown, with the studio's name, address and the date on the back.
- Taken no more than 6 months before you apply.
- The digital file must be the original saved from the camera, JPEG, 200 KB to 5 MB.
Official sources
Checked against these pages on . How we check the rules
01
Why you can't take it at home
Two rules on the Government of Canada's photo page rule out a photo taken at home:
- Printed and digital photos must be taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio.
- The photo must not be altered or edited in any way. Canada lists cropping around the head and shoulders, pasting your image on a white background, removing shadows, and using filters or AI as alterations.
Any service that sells you a Canadian passport photo made from your own picture is selling something the rules don't accept.
02
What to tell the photo studio
Most studios know the rules, but a short list avoids a second trip. Show them this:
- Printed photos: 2 identical photos, 50 mm wide by 70 mm high, face 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown.
- Background: plain white or light-colored, with a clear difference between your face and the background.
- Expression: neutral, eyes open, mouth closed, not smiling or frowning.
- Glasses: allowed if your eyes are clearly visible with no glare. No tinted lenses.
- The back: the studio's name and full address and the date the photo was taken, written or stamped.
- Online renewal: ask for the original digital file, JPEG, 3:2 portrait, at least 1200 x 1800 pixels, 200 KB to 5 MB, head 45% to 50% of the photo height.
- No editing: no retouching, no background changes, no filters.
The photos must be taken no more than 6 months before you apply.
03
Checking a digital photo for online renewal
When you renew online you upload the digital photo the studio took, along with the studio's name, address and the date of the photo.
Check it before you upload
- Save the file the studio sent you without opening it in an editor.
- Choose Canada passport photo in the tool and add the file.
- Read the report: it checks the file size, pixel size, 3:2 shape and that the head is 45% to 50% of the photo height, plus eyes, expression, light and background.
- If an item fails, go back to the studio. A Canadian photo can't be fixed by cropping or editing.
If it doesn't work
- "This file type isn't accepted": Canada takes JPEG only. Ask the studio for a JPEG.
- "The file is too big": the limit is 5 MB. Ask the studio to export it again; don't compress it yourself.
04
Canadian passport photos in the USA
A US 2 x 2 inch photo is the wrong size for a Canadian passport. If you're in the US, look for a photo studio that prints 50 x 70 mm and will write or stamp its name, address and the date on the back. Show them the list in "What to tell the photo studio" above.
Ready to make your photo?
Pick your document, add a photo and read the free check. You pay only for the HD files.
Troubleshooting
The head size check fails on the studio's file
The head must be 45% to 50% of the photo height in the digital file. Cropping it yourself counts as an alteration, so ask the studio for a new photo.
The shape check fails
Canada asks for a 3:2 portrait file. A square or 4:5 file isn't the 3:2 original; ask the studio for the file straight from the camera.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I take my own Canadian passport photo?
No. A commercial photographer or photo studio must take it in person, for printed and digital photos alike.
What size is a Canada passport photo in inches?
2 inches wide by 2 3/4 inches high (50 x 70 mm). The face is 1 1/4 to 1 7/16 inches from chin to crown.
Can I get a Canadian passport photo at a US drugstore?
Only if they can print 50 x 70 mm and stamp the studio's name, address and date on the back. A US 2 x 2 photo is the wrong size.
What needs to be on the back?
The date the photo was taken and the name and full address of the studio, written or stamped by the photographer. New applications also need a guarantor's signature; adult renewals don't.
Can I smile?
No. Canada asks for a neutral expression: mouth closed, not smiling or frowning. See can you smile in a passport photo.
Can the photo be edited?
No. Canada rejects any change, including cropping, brightness changes, background changes, filters and AI tools.